Palace slams Roque's claims, says warrant is valid

Malacañang pushed back against former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s claims of political persecution, emphasizing that the arrest warrant issued against him is legally sound and rooted in due process, not politics.

Current palace spokesperson Atty. Claire Castro directly addressed Roque’s claims that he is a victim of political harassment because of his ties to the Duterte family. Castro dismissed the claim, saying Roque has yet to fulfill his promise to submit documents that would justify his increased wealth — an issue raised during a congressional investigation last year into alleged hidden assets.

“That’s the narrative he’s sticking to. It’s his defense. But he still hasn’t explained what happened to the documents he promised to submit during the Quad Committee hearing in the House of Representatives,” Castro said in Filipino. “He has not complied, and neither has he addressed the claims about his alleged hidden wealth. So how can this be political persecution?”

Castro added that the legal process was clear and properly followed, pointing out that the warrant of arrest was issued by a court and not by the executive branch.

“Let’s be reminded: it was the court itself that issued a valid warrant of arrest for the case involving qualified human trafficking,” she said.

The response came after Roque, now in The Hague, Netherlands, issued a statement late Thursday saying the arrest warrant was part of an “unjust prosecution” which he plans to cite in his asylum application.

“I am a victim of political persecution by the Marcos government because I am an ally of the Dutertes,” Roque said, maintaining that his departure from the country was not an act of evasion but an exercise of his right to seek asylum.

“I reiterate: this is not flight as evidence of guilt but the exercise of a human right to asylum,” he added, vowing to exhaust all legal remedies.

Roque, who once served as the Duterte administration’s chief legal counsel, is among several individuals facing 11 criminal charges filed under the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012. The cases stem from coordinated government raids on illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hubs in Porac, Pampanga, where authorities uncovered cases of forced labor, illegal detention, and trafficking-related abuses.

The Angeles City Regional Trial Court Branch 118 issued the arrest warrants on 8 May. Alongside Roque, businesswoman Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, also known Cassy Ong, was also named, along with several Filipino and Chinese nationals allegedly connected to the illegal operations.

Land-grabbing case

“And it's not just that — we’ve also learned that there is a pending case for alleged land grabbing in Bataan, which has supposedly been pending with the Ombudsman since 2023,” she said.

“So, perhaps we should also learn the details and the truth about the accusations made by 77 farmers regarding the alleged land grabbing committed by Atty. Harry Roque,” she added.

Castro likewise noted that the Department of Justice (DOJ) might coordinate with Interpol regarding Roque's arrest.

“Let’s just wait and see what action the government, through the DOJ, will take,” she said.